A September afternoon in northeast Columbia ended in violence near a busy shopping area. On Friday, September 24, 2021, around 1 p.m., 22-year-old Malik T. Gray was shot in the lower body in a wooded area near the 4400 block of Hardscrabble Road. Paramedics responded but were unable to save him and he was pronounced dead.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department opened an immediate investigation. Hours after the shooting, 19-year-old Jordan C. White was arrested and booked at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. He was charged with murder, attempted murder, possession of a stolen gun, and possession of a gun during a violent crime. Authorities continued to investigate the circumstances of the shooting.

If anyone witnessed the shooting or has information about what brought Malik Gray to that wooded area, please share what you know.